Events

FCEM Event Keynotes and Speakers

Dr. Chantal Line CarpentierChief of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
New York Office

At UNCTAD – the focal point in the United Nations for the integrated treatment of trade and development and interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development - she leads her team to bridge the research and technical cooperation conducted by headquarters and the New York political process. She previously lead the participation of non-state actors in the negotiations of the SDGs at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, headed the Trade, Economics and Environment Program of the NAFTA Commission for Environmental Cooperation, and served as policy analyst for the Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, and IFPRI. She’s a Yale World Fellow and holds agricultural and environmental economics degrees from McGill University and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech University.

Anna FälthManager
UN Women / EmpowerWomen.org

Anna Fälth is the Manager of EmpowerWomen.org, UN Women’s community-driven global online platform that promotes collaboration, learning and innovation to advance women’s economic empowerment in over 190 economies. Anna manages two UN Women flagship programmes: Promoting the economic empowerment of women at work through responsible business conduct in G7 countries; and Stimulating Equal Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs (focusing on gender-responsive procurement). She also heads the Secretariat of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) to support the private sector in promoting gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community. She is currently developing a virtual skills school, We Learn, that will tackle some of the skills gaps faced by women and girls across the globe. An economist, Anna has more than 20 years of experience as economic advisor within the UN system, including UNCTAD, UN-DESA, UNDP and UN Women. She has a MSc in Economics from Lund University, Sweden, and a Masters in Law and Economic from Hamburg University, Germany.

Dr. Patricia G. GreeneDirector of the Women's Bureau
U.S. Department of Labor

Dr. Greene is a former entrepreneurship professor at Babson College where she held the Paul T. Babson Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies. While at Babson she served terms as first the Dean of the Undergraduate School and then the Provost. Dr. Greene was the founding National Academic Director for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses initiative and the Global Academic Director for the 10,000 Women program, a global initiative that fosters economic growth by providing women entrepreneurs around the world with business and management education, mentoring and networking, and access to capital.

Leslie GriffinSenior Vice President
International Public Policy, UPS

Leslie Griffin works to advance the international trade policy priorities for UPS among the over 220 countries and territories. Ms. Griffin was previously Vice President of International Governmental Affairs for New York Life Insurance Company, where she represented the company's interests on international policy and financial services issues. She also served as Chief of Staff to the Chairman and CEO of New York Life International. Prior to joining New York Life, Ms. Griffin was Managing Director for Asian Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She is President of The Association of Women in International Trade (WIIT), a non-profit, non-partisan professional organization for individuals, particularly women, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area who share a strong interest and expertise in the field of international trade. Ms. Griffin d is a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. SMs. Griffin holds an M.Sc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a B.A. in Economics from Wellesley College.

Carla HarrisVice Chairman, Managing Director
Morgan Stanley

Carla Harris is a Vice Chairman, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley. She is responsible for increasing client connectivity and penetration to enhance revenue generation across the firm. She formerly headed the Emerging Manager Platform, the equity capital markets effort for the consumer and retail industries and was responsible for Equity Private Placements. In her 30 year career, Ms. Harris has had extensive industry experiences in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial, and healthcare sectors. In August 2013, Carla Harris was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council.

David KoneCEO
Opportunity International, Nicaragua

David Kone is CEO of Opportunity International Nicaragua, a non-profit organization focused on the economic, social and spiritual transformation of the poor, their families and the communities in which they live. OI Nicaragua operates a CED (Community Economic Development) model that sustains operations by investing in market-driven opportunities that leverage the assets of the poor. Kone is responsible for managing all CED programs and businesses including a food processing plant, an entrepreneur high school and Pacaya Lodge & Spa, a 5-star luxury resort. Kone oversees expansion of the work through the CED Institute which provides training and resources to equip other leaders and organizations for deploying CED initiatives beyond Nicaragua. Kone has 10+ years experience managing international businesses in Latin America and was a founding member of the first English-speaking Rotary Club in Peru. He studied International Marketing at the University of Alabama with a focus in World Business with a minor in Spanish.

Virginia Littlejohn President and Co-founder
Quantam Leaps

Virginia is president and co-founder of Quantam Leaps, a global acclerator for women's entrepreneurship. A NAWBO National past president, she was a primary architect of the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 and coordinated NAWBO's involvement in the White House Conference on Small Business. She served two terms on the National Women's Business Council and has received such honors as SBA's Women in Business Advocate of the Year and Enterprising Women Hall of Fame.

Serial entrepreneur Dr. Terry Neese, is a lifelong Oklahoman and has spent over thirty (30) years finding careers for men and women. She is the founder of Terry Neese Personnel Services (TNPS), National Grassroots Network, Women Impacting Public Policy and the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW). A member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, and past national president of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Dr. Neese is known as a small business expert and was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the “Power 30”—the most influential small businesspersons in Washington, D.C.

Winslow SargeantManaging Director
S&T, LLC

Dr. Winslow Sargeant is Managing Director of S&T, LLC, a firm supporting investment and business development for early-stage growth companies in cybersecurity, energy, communications, capital formation, and education. From 2010-2015, he served as Chief Counsel for Advocacy in the US Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. President Obama appointed him to this positon in August 2010.

Mrs. Terrell is responsible for managing the business plan growth of the international sales team. She is also responsible for supporting the customer experience, business planning, client engagement, territory alignment, global sales support & initiatives. Previously she was the Vice President of Middle Market Customer Solutions. Her team was responsible for developing innovative supply chain solutions that optimize client networks, provide consultation for operational efficiency, integrate/customize transportation management systems and support green chain/sustainability solutions. Since her career began, she has held several sales leadership positions in the US as well as the Vice President of Business Development for UPS Canada. She received her BA in Marketing from Texas State University and MA in International Business from Webster University. Elizabeth serves as Chair of the Sales Advisory Board at Texas State University, Chair of Nomination Committee & member of the Board of Trustees for University System of Georgia.

Sophie is Founder and Workforce Innovation Specialist at Flexcel Network. Sophie speaks, consults and writes as an authority on Future of Work issues including attracting, engaging and retaining talent; digital transformation; managing distributed workers; workplace flexibility; intergenerational communication and new career paradigms. Sophie is the author of Embracing Progress. Next Steps for the Future of Work. Sophie has lived and worked in Asia, Europe and the U.S. with a strategy and finance focus. She is a member of NAWBO’s Presidents’ Assembly Steering Committee. Sophie has a BA from Oxford University in Chinese and an MBA from INSEAD.